P.O.W. (protect our women): results of a breast cancer prevention project targeted to older African-American women.
OBJECTIVE
Encourage older African-American women to participate in breast cancer detection. Breast cancer deaths for older African-American women are higher than for Caucasian counterparts. Effective outreach education about mammography and breast exam is one method to reduce the disparity by encouraging women to enter treatment earlier through earlier diagnosis. Traditional outreach strategies have proven ineffective with this cohort.


METHODS
In this study we utilized the trust placed in known community leaders to recruit older African-American women to participate in breast health education leading to completion of a mammogram. One hundred sixty-two women were identified as participants.


RESULTS
Seventy-nine percent of the women who completed the project obtained mammograms and 9% had mammograms scheduled at 1-month follow-up, whereas 22% of the individuals who received only mailed educational materials completed mammograms and none had scheduled mammograms pending.


CONCLUSIONS
Health education for difficult-to-reach populations can be effective but requires greater inclusion of community partners to offset issues related to trust, health beliefs, and access.
Kidder
Beverly
B
Aging Resource Center, Agency on Aging of South Central CT, One Long Wharf, New Haven, CT 06511, USA. CHOICESsccaa@snet.net
D001741:Black or African American; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health / Q000208:ethnology; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003256:Community Participation / Q000379:methods; D003159:Community-Institutional Relations; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008327:Mammography; D008875:Middle Aged; D009657:North Carolina; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000208:ethnology; D015397:Program Evaluation; D014481:United States; D016387:Women's Health